Cross-Border Capture Operation
In a nighttime operation on Saturday, approximately 100 Russian military personnel conducted a raid on Hrabovske village in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy region. According to Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov, the assault resulted in the capture of 52 local residents along with 13 Ukrainian soldiers.
Trehubov described the incident as "a smash and grab" operation, noting that "they quickly rounded everyone up and quickly removed them. This had never happened before. We had never had such raids before."
Civilian Detention and Transfer
The captured civilians were initially gathered in a church before being transported across the border into Russian territory. Ukrainian officials report that most of those taken were elderly individuals who had declined official evacuation orders from the border area.
Volodymyr Bitsak, a member of the Sumy regional council, provided details about one detainee: "My friends' mother has been taken there. There is no way of contacting her even though they tried. As far as I know, they've been taken to the city of Belgorod and are being held at an unknown location."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed particular concern about children among those captured, stating: "I'm surprised there were children. I'm simply surprised that parents treated their children like that. I think they simply did not expect to be taken [to Russia] by Russian military."
Military Developments and International Law Concerns
While fighting continued in southern Hrabovske according to Tuesday evening reports, Ukrainian battlefield monitoring site Deep State later indicated Russian forces had gained control of the village. The Russian defense ministry acknowledged operations in Hrabovske and other Sumy region villages.
Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets condemned the civilian transfers, asserting that "such actions are a serious violation of international humanitarian law. They violate the laws and customs of war by unlawfully detaining and forcefully deporting civilians." He added that detainees "were held incommunicado and in improper conditions" before removal from Ukraine.
Trehubov noted the unusual nature of transferring civilians to Russia before establishing firm control in occupied territory, suggesting this represented a new tactical approach by Russian forces.
Regional Evacuation Challenges
Ukrainian authorities continue efforts to relocate civilians from border areas of Sumy region, though significant resistance remains. Viktor Babych, deputy head of the Sumy regional administration, reported that 56% of border area residents refuse evacuation, with approximately 32,000 civilians including 604 children still present in these zones.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces withdrew from Siversk town to preserve military personnel. This development brings Russian troops closer to key urban centers Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, approximately 35 kilometers to the west.
